Susan Windham-Bannister, president & CEO, Mass Life Sciences Center
Today The 2009 BIO International Convention got started in earnest with the opening of the exhibition floor and the kick-off plenary with Sir Elton John.
Elton John is best known as a musician but he is also the founder and chairman of the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The foundation has raised more than $150 million to support HIV/AIDS prevention and service programs in 55 countries around the globe.
John spoke about the need for greater advocacy around HIV/AIDS and the need to revisit some of our policies around making treatments available, funding and efforts to promote public awareness.
He also spoke about breaking down the stigma that remains about the disease in this country and throughout the world. He reminded us that the incidence of AIDS continues to grow in the United States, including right here in Atlanta, and expressed the concern that so much of the burden of funding for programs around HIV/AIDS is falling to foundations like his. His charge to the participants at BIO is to be more than just researchers and to be advocates for programs that support those with HIV/AIDS and better policies that govern how we are investing in our programs and in research.
We’ve had strong and consistent traffic at the Massachusetts pavilion and I’ve had some great conversations with people looking to learn more about the Massachusetts “supercluster.”
I had the opportunity to speak with someone from Canada who has a small company in the diagnostics imaging space. She was interested in learning more about incubator space in Massachusetts, as she is considering bringing her company to the state. She is especially attracted by our supercluster and the opportunity to be part of a strong and cohesive life sciences community, which she believes will be important to her company’s success.
The head of business development from a major pharmaceutical company also dropped by and was interested to hear more about the Center’s Corporate Consortium Program (PDF), which provides the opportunity for corporate investors to partner with the Center in supporting Massachusetts’ innovation pipeline.
{IMAGELEFT:https://www.massdevice.com/sites/default/wp-content/uploads/featureArt/Patrick_SWB_200.jpg}An interesting visit came from a representative of the University of Madrid Business School, who is bringing a group of students to Boston this summer. He is hoping to arrange meetings with some of our colleges and universities in order to provide his students with a broader exposure to life sciences. He picked Massachusetts as the best place to show his students how “life sciences really works.”
The main event tonight is our “Big Bang Reception” with Gov. Deval Patrick, sponsored by the New England Patriots.
More tomorrow!
